Righteous among the Nations is an honorific of the State of Israel, used to recognize non-Jews whose extraordinary acts during the Holocaust saved Jewish lives. I thought about the Righteous among the Nations, known informally—and with respect—as Righteous Gentiles, as I was reflecting on the coverage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 at 50.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the bill into law on July 2, 1964. I’m not sure about the reasons for celebrating the 50 year anniversary now, about three months early, but there was a major event at the LBJ Presidential Library this past week to commemorate the law and the events that led to its passage. Presidents Obama, G.W. Bush, Clinton, and Carter all